unemployment claims

[Scallywag]

Frankly, UI will run out in about 12 weeks and then what? States like IL have already asked for a federal bailout only to have Mitch McConnell state that he prefers them to go bankrupt! America is broke & I am really worried.

[~bs]

Frankly, UI will run out in about 12 weeks and then what? States like IL have already asked for a federal bailout only to have Mitch McConnell state that he prefers them to go bankrupt! America is broke & I am really worried.

It'll get extended as long as the crisis goes on. It did the last time. There's no way they'll let the masses starve. There would be anarchy in the streets.

[~bs]

Is it really a good use of funds, though? The system works just fine MOST of the time. If you use the funds to upgrade to the point it can handle millions of claims per day, that means you aren't using the funds on other projects.

Updating more than 1x in 50 years isn't that much to ask. And normally "working just fine" isn't exactly efficient. During the previous 2008 crisis, the system couldn't handle the federal addition, so employees added the additional amount MANUALLY. Kick the can down the road for another decade, and the problem presents itself again. Nothing learned.

[Scallywag]

It'll get extended as long as the crisis goes on. It did the last time. There's no way they'll let the masses starve. There would be anarchy in the streets.

Lasy time (2008) there wasnt a 35% unemployment rate. UI isn't intended to last forever and it will run out soon. Plus employees will have to pay increased payroll taxes next year. It's a vicious cycle.

[~bs]

Lasy time (2008) there wasnt a 35% unemployment rate. UI isn't intended to last forever and it will run out soon. Plus employees will have to pay increased payroll taxes next year. It's a vicious cycle.

Even moreso they wont cut off unemployment benefits in the middle of a recession.

[Petunia 100]

Updating more than 1x in 50 years isn't that much to ask. And normally "working just fine" isn't exactly efficient. During the previous 2008 crisis, the system couldn't handle the federal addition, so employees added the additional amount MANUALLY. Kick the can down the road for another decade, and the problem presents itself again. Nothing learned.

Government websites get updated more frequently than once every 50 years.

[Petunia 100]

Lasy time (2008) there wasnt a 35% unemployment rate. UI isn't intended to last forever and it will run out soon. Plus employees will have to pay increased payroll taxes next year. It's a vicious cycle.

Employers will. There are only 3 states which assess any UI tax to employees.

[~bs]

Government websites get updated more frequently than once every 50 years.

websites maybe. not the underlying mainframe hardware and software that they plug into.

[Evangelion335]

You guys are making a lot of assumptions while we experience a very unique event. Everything is in question, there are no guarantees. It would be right to be scared.

[Scallywag]

Employers will. There are only 3 states which assess any UI tax to employees.

Yes, i meant employers. It was a typo.

[Petunia 100]

websites maybe. not the underlying mainframe hardware and software that they plug into.

So we're running on stuff from 1970? No, we're not.

I'm not IT savvy, but I do know that more capacity costs more money. And I know how government budgets work. If we say yes to more capacity so that we can handle once-every-decade-or-two capacity needs, then we're saying no to other projects. Is it worth it? That's something each state will have to decide. And of course, there is still a human element to processing those claims, which will continue to be a bottleneck whether your website can handle the volume of claims or not.

Unemployment claims are getting filed. If people have to try a few times to get through, then they do. No financial harm is done, as their claim is based on the date that they separate from their employer, not the date they were able to submit their claim on the website. I get how it would be frustrating, but that is the only harm done.

[disneysteve]

I'm not IT savvy, but I do know that more capacity costs more money. And I know how government budgets work. If we say yes to more capacity so that we can handle once-every-decade-or-two capacity needs, then we're saying no to other projects. Is it worth it? That's something each state will have to decide.

At some point, you HAVE to upgrade computer systems. They don't last forever. How much longer can they keep running things on software written in an antiquated programming language that nobody speaks anymore? What happens when that last COBOL programmer retires?

Unemployment claims are getting filed. If people have to try a few times to get through, then they do. No financial harm is done, as their claim is based on the date that they separate from their employer, not the date they were able to submit their claim on the website. I get how it would be frustrating, but that is the only harm done.

Yes they get made whole eventually with payments retroactive to their eligibility date but what do they live on in the meantime? As we all know, most people live paycheck to paycheck. They have no savings to pay for groceries, utility bills, rent, car payments, credit cards, etc. Some places are loosening restrictions and late fees but not all are, and the grocery store still needs you to pay when you get your food. The gas station won't let you fill your tank for free. If you have no savings, like the majority of Americans, and your unemployment check is delayed for a couple of weeks because the systems are so overwhelmed, there certainly may be financial harm done.

[~bs]

You guys are making a lot of assumptions while we experience a very unique event. Everything is in question, there are no guarantees. It would be right to be scared.

An argument can be made for planning for the future. If more people didn't live hand to mouth only focused on what's immediately in front of them, the country wouldn't be in such a huge mess right now with the masses desperately needing government assistance 1 month into the crisis. And nobody said that there was anything wrong with being scared.

[~bs]

So we're running on stuff from 1970? No, we're not.

I'm not IT savvy, but I do know that more capacity costs more money. And I know how government budgets work. If we say yes to more capacity so that we can handle once-every-decade-or-two capacity needs, then we're saying no to other projects. Is it worth it? That's something each state will have to decide. And of course, there is still a human element to processing those claims, which will continue to be a bottleneck whether your website can handle the volume of claims or not.

Unemployment claims are getting filed. If people have to try a few times to get through, then they do. No financial harm is done, as their claim is based on the date that they separate from their employer, not the date they were able to submit their claim on the website. I get how it would be frustrating, but that is the only harm done.

The state mainframe system is on COBOL, a computer language over 50 years old with almost everyone in our state familiar with the language retired. Hence the difficulty attempting to streamline or perform other interim upgrades.

Every state is different. And you could try telling the millions of people trying to get through for their claims that "no financial harm is done". I understand that maybe your state and situation are different, for that you should feel fortunate. Our company has furloughed staff, I'm taking the extra steps of assisting them with filing their claims. At least here, I assure you that it's far worse than "have to try a few times to get through". Some people have been trying repeatedly for WEEKS already without getting through. The system is so archaic that it needs to go down for hours daily to update and process the claims. And when the system is online, people just get a message stating that the system is overloaded and to try again later.


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[disneysteve]

An argument can be made for planning for the future. If more people didn't live hand to mouth only focused on what's immediately in front of them, the country wouldn't be in such a huge mess right now with the masses desperately needing government assistance 1 month into the crisis. And nobody said that there was anything wrong with being scared.

Agreed. Being scared is completely appropriate, even if you were financially prepared. If I lost my job tomorrow, I'd be scared too and we've got plenty of money in the bank.

But imagine how differently things would look if everyone who lost their job had a 6-month EF, or even a 3-month EF. Heck, even a 1-month EF would make a huge difference and there wouldn't be literally tens of thousands of people in line for the area food banks right now.